Yarn Along: Litany

We were snuggled in on the couch reading before bath time and Isabel read the cover of my book and asked, "What is a Litany?" I said, "usually short prayers where the priest will pray and we will respond. It's a practice of prayer, but in a structured way."

And then I begun thinking about Keeping House -- and the truth that it brought to light. Meeting basic needs of a community is spiritual practice.  I know that warm food, warm clothes, clean sheets make us feel safe and whole.

Last night, I had all three kids (my two plus our beloved Olivia!) in the snow. The snow was so wet, they came and changed some article of clothing, pants, gloves, hats, just to run outside again for more. When they came inside for dinner, their cheeks were rosy, their hearts were full and they were hungry. We lit candles, added a few more chairs, shared dinner together. And I realized, keeping house is much more than folding laundry or changing beds, but it is those things. It's a heart cracked wide open to the people we love and the community we live with.

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This picture is the beginning of another pickles plain vest, it's off the needles, gotten a few wooden buttons and has been given to a sweet little man. It's knit in Plymouth Yarn- 553 Coffee Beans, colorway Gray 9389.

Joining Ginny for Yarn Along.

I love... Knitting and Reading

I finally finished these simple mittens (made with Coffee Beenz yarn in Black from Athena's Fibers). And they were simple. I was a bit afraid of them-- the thumb gore, exact replica, measurements!

But anxiety aside, once I got started I realized these mittens were the perfect project for me-- pushing me outside of my knitting comfort zone while being quick and with an easy-to-follow pattern. If you want to try something new, this pattern could be for you!

I started a simple scarf for Truman. After knitting most of the skein, I figured I'm not going to have enough yarn! So I ripped it out last night and I'm making it much thinner. We'll see if that will get me some more length. I'm going to take the time to brush up on my stitches while making this simple project.

We've also been reading The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe together. They are fascinated by it. And I have to admit that I am too, I remember these books holding my attention and infusing me with so much magic as a child. But they haven't lost that magic at all-- it's wonderful to see them again through my children's eyes.

What are you knitting? Reading?

Linking up today with Kerry for I love and Ginny for Yarn Along. 

**My comments are not working well on the first post on the homepage. If you would like to comment, please open up the post by clicking the header (I love... Knitting and Reading) above then you should be able to comment easier. I haven't made it a priority to fix that. So at least there seems to be a work around for now.

Yarn Along: Wild and Simple

This week while I was at the Library looking for Adventure books for Truman I stumbled upon Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed (for ME to read!). This book has been making it's rounds in the blogging world and in Yarn Along for quite a few months (here, here, here). And Gretchen Rubin interviewed her about happiness, here.

I finished the book this evening... I loved the imagery of the trail, the scenery, her determination and the fact that she was a woman who took on the wilderness and came out to tell about it. And the idea that hard work and natural landscapes can -in fact- save you from yourself and offer prospective. 

I did kind of feel like I was flashing back to my childhood a bit, our parents believed in exposing us to State and National Parks and we spent a good chunk of time every summer careening through forests and setting up tents. Most of the stops on the map we had camped at, walked through or drove by. I was so sad that she had to bypass Yosemite, Tuolumne Meadows and a greater portion of the Sierra Nevada's, I would have loved to hear a story with those touchstone places as a backdrop.

I was not disappointed by the book. It is not the book for everyone, but I liked it just fine once it finished.

On the yarn front, I just cast on for these simple mittens. I've decided that I need a pair of mittens in some sort of beautiful yarn that I got from my friend Hannah. And these mittens just might be the simple quick project I need to bring me out of the knitting rut I've been in for quite some time.


As always, I'm joining along with Ginny for Yarn Along.

Yarn Along: Have Patience

Yesterday while getting dressed, Isabel was in the bathroom singing "Have patience, have patience" and I had forgotten we used to sing that song all the time. It has been on repeat in my head ever since.  Especially in regards to knitting.

A few years ago when my nephew came to visit from California he begged me to teach him how to knit. We sat down and I tried to explain how to hold your needle, how to cast on, how to make knit stitches. He did ok, but it was hard to explain in terms he'd understand. I don't think either of us had much patience.

So last year, I gave him a knitting book, needles and yarn for Christmas. Hoping that it would spark some creative exploring on his own. And it did, he had gotten pretty far on a project... but he abandoned it and forgot how to start again.

One night while the rest of the family watched TV, we sat a ways back in the room. And again, we worked together on knitting. He caught on quickly and since I started him out on size 15 needles, the project grew quickly. And he spent much of the end of the trip knitting!

It felt so beautiful to pass on one of my great loves to him.  In a patient and enjoyable way!

photo

Last week I finished the book, The Pillars of the Earth. So. Good. It took me 41 hours to listen to, so I'm not sure I'm ready for the sequel (or another audio book... to be perfectly honest). It followed a web of connected people for most of their adult life, completely interesting and a bit of a Medieval soap opera. But well crafted and well worth the time.

Yarn Along: Beach Side

It's raining here today, I walked into work with an umbrella under my arm and water in my keen sandals. The summer showers abated for just a few moments, but with the wind, wet grass and temperature in the low 60's it feels cold and grey.

This weekend, however, was full of sunshine and while on the beach, I took a basket of goodies with me. I had planned on reading Taproot magazine-- and on a few occasions this weekend, I took it with me. And I finished one article. And I only finished a few rows on my knitting. 

But I spent more of it listening, watching, playing, thinking, dreaming.

And that's how we should all spend our time? Right?

So here's to getting one more article read this week!

Joining Ginny and with Keep Calm, Craft On.

Yarn Along: Making Pie

For the month of June I'm a guest contributor for The Rhythm of the Home blog. You should take some time to dive in to that space, so much great information and inspiring women. And if you happen to see my post about The Summer List, stop by and say hi! I'd love to see you there.  

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Last night, I stayed up a bit late reading a new book, Making Piece: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Pie. I've decided to let the library pick new books for me, they have a low bookshelf filled with new or interesting books. And I always find a good one there, without much effort. In a quick sweep of the audio book section (psst, it's my secret for staying in my desk chair at work and staying focused), I grabbed this book on a whim as I stood in the check out line.

I settled down on the couch while Eric baked a cake and before I knew it, I was 50 pages in. The author just takes you right in to the heart of the story, the complicated grief, confusion and deep love.

And I love that she's living in Iowa (or did when this book was written), she has already mentioned Joan Didion and The Year of Magical Thinking. And seriously, she leaves a corporate job to make pie. My type of girl. And now I'm singing this song.

On the yarn front, I'm still making washcloths. I like that you can pick them up and do a few rows, not touch them for a few months and knit a few rows. That is how dedicated I am to knitting right now. So on Saturday, I picked up and punched out a few rows.

What are you reading and knitting?

You should join Ginny too!

Yarn Along: Reading

For the last few nights, the kids have been reading their own bedtime stories. Isabel picked the book, Chester's Way she's been working through page by page (about four pages a night) and Truman is reading Disney's Cars early reader. And then we pick a book together that I read. Last night Truman wore his Max crown while I read, Where the Wild Things Are.

I do worry sometime if I'm raising readers, I so want them to enjoy a good book.

I haven't been knitting lately. Actually most of what we've been doing fits into the outdoor category-- gardening, digging, planting seedlings, sweeping. Or indoor late-spring cleaning, playroom detox and the like.

But I have snuck a few pages here and there for reading. I read the companion book to The Year of Magical Thinking which is, Blue Nights by Joan Didion. It was very good and it finished the story, but I thought The Year of Magical Thinking was such a stronger piece.

And I read Mary Oliver's Handbook of Poetry. It was amazing to see how she constructs a poem. And I love the poetry she's picked out as her examples. Like a tiny crack into her genius brain.

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett was delightful, crafting an impossible story into the completely plausible. It was encompassed human emotion and interaction so poignantly. I would suggest this read to anyone.

And what should I knit next? Does anyone have suggestions? Or tell me what your knitting!

Yarn Along: Vests and Authenticity

This week, thanks to a wonderful book. There has been much more reading than knitting. But I am still working on this little project. And it's been really nice to do most of the project in garter stitch so when I do have a minute or two I grab it out of my bag and work a few rows.

And it's been pretty cold in our house so snuggling under a few blankets on the couch (or soaking in the bathtub) has been the best way to enjoy a new book!

I picked up the book, An Unquenchable Thirst by Mary Johnson at the library and I can't put it down. I'm about half way through it. And it's such a unique look inside her experience as a nun in the Catholic Order-- the Missionaries of Charity. It's a realistic look, not sugar coated and not blasphemy, but a healthy dose of honesty and humanness. It has been wonderful to see the depth of devotion and sacrifice given to God but, it is also facinating looking into a world I'm not super familiar with.


What are you reading? Knitting? If you want to see all the books I've finished this year, I'm trying to catalog them here.

Yarn Along

 

As promised, I'm am knitting again. I made a pair of baby booties, but they turned out spherical once sewn together, so unless these little babies have feet shaped like a cabbage patch kid, I think I'll just give them to Isabel's cabbage patch... 

But! Last night I did finish this cowl-- it's so warm and cozy. The wool is just from the big blue box store and the buttons belonged to some coat at one time. I snapped this photo to send to Kerry, but I guess I can share it with you too!

  

Now, on to books. Last week, I finished The House on Mango Street, My Life in France and Fly Away Home (audio). This week, I've got Children the Challenge and Operating Instructions in queue. 

My favorite from last week was My Life in France. Julia Child has this amazing way of making her extrordinary life seem attainable, building it with one footstep in the right direction after another. She was passionate about food, so she sought out cooking, when she was realized her potential in cooking she sought to be the best and impart her passion. One little step after the other. 

She makes me believe that we too can accomplish great things, one tiny step at a time. Plus, this book is all about food and wine. Really, who doesn't love reading about food and wine...?!?

What are you reading? Knitting? 

*Visit Ginny to see what she's up to!

Yarn Along:: Sort of...

I've been knitting-- well if you consider moving my knitting basket to vacuum last night and then thinking very hard about what to knit next, then of course, I'm knitting.

But, as I looked at Kerry's Honey Cowl and at this. I thought, hmmm I've never made a baby sweater and there are lots of friend's babies on the way. I should knit something. So I'm going to, perhaps that tiny sweater will end up in the next Yarn Along addtion.

But, I am reading.

I finished a beautiful book last night (after vacuuming, laundry, dishes, paperwork... you know the usual), called Plain Wisdom: An Invitation into an Amish Home and the Hearts of Two Women. 

It was indeed just that, an invitation into a life of these women to share a table, to share their joy and heart ache-- learning how they lived their lives so differently and yet so similarly. The back of the book calls it a 'soul-comforting read.' And it was, it read quickly almost as if it was written as a letter.

I'm glad that these women didn't try to cast stones at the weaknesses of the 'English' or the Amish-- there was admiration on both sides, for both traditions.

If your heart needs some soul-comforting, a few recipes and some heartening verses/poems, this would be the book I'd reach for.

It's going to be a girls end to the week, starting with Girl Scouts tonight, a girl date tonight and a girls craft weekend too(love my girl friends)! I'm spoiled (and excited)!

Yarn along:: Water Color and Washcloths

I've been knitting a little bit, just little bits and baubles for a few friends upcoming babies! I took a detour this week with washcloths. I was inspired when my twin sister started crocheting washcloths for her family.

I'm also reading Water, Paper, Paint. Run to buy this book. It probably deserves a whole post of it's own.

Today's post is short and sweet-- to see more Yarn + Reading visit Ginny.